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Suggestions for aging tank/vessel for sours

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  • Suggestions for aging tank/vessel for sours

    Hello
    Nano-brewery in planning and wanted to see if anyone had suggestions for a question regarding aging tanks for sours/beer with microbes in them. I'll be a part-time operation to start and will be using a 1bbl system. While securing the right barrels and building a barrel program is ideal, securing the right barrels is going to take me some time. I will only have 3 to 4 1bbl conicals to start, so I can't tie those up with long term aging of sours. For that matter, I can't really tie the conicals up for more than a month or two. So really for anything that take more time than that, I need to find a cost effective aging tank/vessel. I am looking at doing clean primary fermenting in a conical and then transferring into barrels (when/if I can find barrels) or into some sort of aging tank/vessel and then adding microbes. Are there any suggestions out there for tanks/vessels that might be ideal for a 1bbl batch ? Anyone use Speidel variable vol. wine tanks (110L) for aging and if so, how easy have those been to use for pressure transfers to a gravity filler holding tank, etc. Really open to any suggestions here. Thanks.

  • #2
    You can get 30 gallon wine barrels out there. And 10s and 15s. Distillery next to us uses 10s, and we've done sours in them. 10's are nice because two people can pick them up and move them around if needs be, and you can stack three in triangles if you are reasonably handy at woodworking and can make simple stands and chocks. But from a commercial standpoint, they're quirky one-offs we do for fun and to use spent barrels. 30 gallons of beer is nothing, particularly if it took two years to make, and will be gone in a flash.
    Russell Everett
    Co-Founder / Head Brewer
    Bainbridge Island Brewing
    Bainbridge Island, WA

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    • #3
      Stainless drums

      Why not stainless 55 gallon drums? I see them around here for $100-150 all day long (used). Have a local welded put on a small ferrule and your set

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      • #4
        Used Barrels will definitely be optimal for aging/ performing a secondary mixed fermentation. They would be cheaper than any stainless vessel of comparable size. Barrels being porous provide very small amounts of oxygen in over time which most see as a benefit for Brett character. The problem with using barrels any smaller than 55gallon whiskey barrels is the smaller the volume of the barrel the greater the proportional amount of beer that will come in contact with the oak, thus you would have much more air contact over time. So you could do some short term aging in smaller barrels but over time you'd get more oxidative and acetic acid compounds than you'd want compared to the small amount of oxygen in a larger barrel that the Brett will happily absorb.

        But overall barrels are probably the winner for cheap and effective fermentation and aging vessel for mixed culture beers.

        -Gabe

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        • #5
          From a cost perspective you really have to think about whether it is worth it to chase down alternatives to barrels. The HDPE or stainless steel alternatives are not substantially different in pricing from used barrels. Also consider that you may be able to run one or two clean beers through the barrels to absorb some of the wine/liquor character, to avoid that character oppressing the sour beer, and those beers can be sold at a premium and help offset the costs of the barrels. Customers also love seeing barrels so there is an aesthetic value to their presence.

          OTOH if you are not prepared to care for barrels then it could be a real cash sinkhole.

          There are some good barrel brokers out there that may be able to fill your need at a reasonable price.
          DFW Employment Lawyer
          http://kielichlawfirm.com

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